Event Preparation: How to Keep Sane

These last two weeks have been filled with lots of planning and lots of work. My Evernote app and online calendar have been instrumental in keeping my sanity. Since I'm working on so many projects I set out all the deadlines/event dates first and work backwards. I've known for months that the Art Festival is Saturday, September 15. We decided whatever we're buying online or printing has to arrive early in the week of September 10-13 (also in case there are a few delays with carriers) and because I don't like spending extra money for expedited shipping. I hate rushing and doing things at the last minute since it adds so much unnecessary stress.

This last week we ordered the remaining photo prints. The first set of prints arrived and they came out beautiful! Its going to feel like Christmas around here since we're expecting a few different shipments in the next few days. I also printed out all my flyers for the event and a map with directions to the murals in downtown Ontario since they are within walking distance.

On the left is one of Tommy's 8x10s and on the right is one of my pastel drawings. This one was made during the 30 in 30 challenge I did 5 years ago! I bought those tiny easels from Dollar Tree and they also had the business card holders too.

We ordered more archival sleeves for the 8x10s and 5x7 prints and small drawings. It made sense to order the 100 pack of each because for a few more dollars you could get 100 vs. 25 that came in a pack. These will probably last us a few years and we won't have to reorder any next year for the Festival. We also bought some white craft bags for our customers who purchase multiple items.

A collage of my checklists and calendar system. I've been using Evernote for a few years (since before I got an iPhone) because I can sync two devices and log in to the online account. I also use it for my monthly budgets, grocery shopping lists, and my wedding celebration planning.

Another list I have in Evernote is my marketing timeline - it told me what I had to add to the website, blog, Facebook, when to send out the next newsletter email for the event, and what to include in each issue. I'm all about set it and forget it. I love having detailed checklists because once I write something down I don't stress about it and can move on to the next thing. I didn't realize how much work it was going to take to prepare for the festival but it doesn't feel as overwhelming as I imagined it would.